Microsoft Now Expects to Sell 5 Million Kinects This Year.

Well, somebody's feeling confident. On the eve of the launch of Microsoft Kinect, the purveyor of Xboxes has increased their worldwide Kinect sales projections to 5 million units. Microsoft was previously only expecting 3 million sales. That's nothing to sneeze at, but 5 million is a great launch for a $150 accessory. If Kinect can hit the projections, that would make it the biggest Xbox product launch ever.

The Kinect will launch with a catalog of 17 games. The system is a visual recognition system that will supposedly do away with the controller in these games. Microsoft may be feeling more optimistic due to the huge numbers of Xbox 360s already in the wild. If gamers can't get a new console yet, they may be willing to spring for something that makes the Xbox feel new in some ways.